by Pawel Cybula, Guest Writer

Without a Voice is a short visual novel that was originally written in 2016 for Yuri Game Jam. The creators, L³ – Laiska, Lorelei and Laniessa (now known as Adirosa) – missed the deadline but continued developing the project, first making a complete game, then running a successful Kickstarter for physical copies and the enhanced Blooming Edition, and finally bringing it to consoles now. So it was quite a journey, one I was happy to follow as WaV is maybe my most beloved VN, and its recent console release gave me a much-appreciated excuse to commit myself to writing this piece.

The story, loosely based on “The Little Mermaid,” introduces Cassidy – an apparently clueless princess in exile living alone in a small hut in the middle of a forest, her only link with the outside world through correspondence with her twin brother, Alexander (now the king), whom she loves and trusts wholeheartedly. Elowen, a mysterious beauty encountered during daily chores, is the other protagonist and in fact a wisteria tree (which in the language of flowers represents timeless, devoted, even obsessive love) given a human form. Her tragic past hinted at, she does not excel at conveying her emotions (being the title character, the one “without a voice”), but she feels irresistibly drawn to Cassidy… and vice versa.

As their relationship grows, you shape Cassidy’s thoughts and responses, thus affecting three hidden variables – Knowledge, Delusion and Understanding – which determine the final outcome. It is worth mentioning that the VN is very linear and your choices change just a few lines of text until the final chapter, which takes a different form depending on what decisions you have made. And it is not an easy task to ensure Cassidy and Elowen’s happiness as there are six bad endings and only two happy ones.

One interesting thing is the fact that making choices is not about gaining affection points with Elowen but molding Cassidy’s world outlook and consequently her feelings towards the melancholic tree spirit and the absent brother. However, it does not mean that Elowen plays any less important role – she is a powerful and charismatic presence and sometimes truly steals the show. By the way, there is a fantastic boon for those who participated in the Kickstarter campaign and obtained a physical copy: a printed prequel short story that fleshes Elowen out even more.

When it comes to the endings, each of them is very moving and has its own CG. The two good endings and two of the six bad ones also get epilogues with extra art added in the Blooming Edition. On a more personal note, I’ve read many VNs that conclude in a way I love, but “Together, We Are Eternal” is my favorite happy ending ever, period.

Without a Voice looks pretty. It is quite common for sprites and CGs to be of high quality these days, even in smaller games, but WaV can also be praised for its background art, which consists of very cleverly painted over and edited stock photos and shows how to achieve impressive results on a tiny budget. The music adds to the atmosphere and makes for enjoyable listening even separate from the game. However, it is the voice acting that makes the protagonists shine, the contrast between Cassidy’s chirpiness and the languid quality to Elowen’s aura, as well as moments of emotional intensity, skillfully underlined without falling into caricature. To top it all off, the visually appealing UI is well-integrated, reducing the amount of visuals hidden.

Still, it is the story that won my heart. It takes only about an hour to read through the whole thing, but even in such a short time the budding relationship is portrayed so convincingly that you cannot help but root for the girls. Granted, it’s a fairy tale, but as it is the case with all good fairy tales, there is a relevance to it. The undertones of loneliness and alienation (Elowen) and being controlled and rejected for one’s sexuality (Cassidy) add depth to the seemingly simple story and encourage replaying the game and checking out all the possible paths, epilogues and extra material, like for example the hidden poem you may discover after completing all endings.

I have to admit that I am probably one of the most biased people to review this game as I adore it so much. To my excuse, I dare say the developers must have felt similar about their project. It might be a small game but it has a big heart and I only hope more people will have fun accompanying Cassidy and Elowen on their amazing journey.

Ratings:

Yuri – 10 From the get-go, you know they are made for each other.